Sec. 20-126c. Continuing education: Definitions; contact hours; attestation; record-keeping; exemptions; waivers; reinstatement of void licenses.

(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Public Health;

(2) “Contact hour” means a minimum of fifty minutes of continuing education activity;

(3) “Department” means the Department of Public Health;

(4) “Licensee” means any person who receives a license from the department pursuant to this chapter; and

(5) “Registration period” means the one-year period for which a license renewed in accordance with section 19a-88 is current and valid.

(b) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a licensee applying for license renewal shall earn a minimum of twenty-five contact hours of continuing education within the preceding twenty-four-month period. Such continuing education shall (1) be in an area of the licensee's practice; (2) reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public; and (3) include not less than one contact hour of training or education in (A) any three of the ten mandatory topics for continuing education activities prescribed by the commissioner pursuant to this subdivision, (B) for registration periods beginning on and after October 1, 2016, infection control in a dental setting, and (C) prescribing controlled substances and pain management. For registration periods beginning on and after October 1, 2011, the Commissioner of Public Health, in consultation with the Dental Commission, shall on or before October 1, 2010, and biennially thereafter, issue a list that includes ten mandatory topics for continuing education activities that will be required for the following two-year registration period. Qualifying continuing education activities include, but are not limited to, courses, including on-line courses, offered or approved by the American Dental Association or state, district or local dental associations and societies affiliated with the American Dental Association; national, state, district or local dental specialty organizations or the American Academy of General Dentistry; a hospital or other health care institution; dental schools and other schools of higher education accredited or recognized by the Council on Dental Accreditation or a regional accrediting organization; agencies or businesses whose programs are accredited or recognized by the Council on Dental Accreditation; local, state or national medical associations; a state or local health department; or the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Eight hours of volunteer dental practice at a public health facility, as defined in section 20-126l, may be substituted for one contact hour of continuing education, up to a maximum of ten contact hours in one twenty-four-month period.

(c) Each licensee applying for license renewal pursuant to section 19a-88 shall sign a statement attesting that he or she has satisfied the continuing education requirements of subsection (b) of this section on a form prescribed by the department. Each licensee shall retain records of attendance or certificates of completion that demonstrate compliance with the continuing education requirements of said subsection (b) for a minimum of three years following the year in which the continuing education activities were completed and shall submit such records to the department for inspection not later than forty-five days after a request by the department for such records.

(d) A licensee applying for the first time for license renewal pursuant to section 19a-88 is exempt from the continuing education requirements of this section.

(e) A licensee who is not engaged in active professional practice in any form during a registration period shall be exempt from the continuing education requirements of this section, provided the licensee submits to the department, prior to the expiration of the registration period, a notarized application for exemption on a form prescribed by the department and such other documentation as may be required by the department. The application for exemption pursuant to this subsection shall contain a statement that the licensee may not engage in professional practice until the licensee has met the continuing education requirements of this section.

(f) In individual cases involving medical disability or illness, the commissioner may, in the commissioner's discretion, grant a waiver of the continuing education requirements or an extension of time within which to fulfill the continuing education requirements of this section to any licensee, provided the licensee submits to the department an application for waiver or extension of time on a form prescribed by the department, along with a certification by a licensed physician or a licensed advanced practice registered nurse of the disability or illness and such other documentation as may be required by the commissioner. The commissioner may grant a waiver or extension for a period not to exceed one registration period, except that the commissioner may grant additional waivers or extensions if the medical disability or illness upon which a waiver or extension is granted continues beyond the period of the waiver or extension and the licensee applies for an additional waiver or extension.

(g) Any licensee whose license has become void pursuant to section 19a-88 and who applies to the department for reinstatement of such license pursuant to section 19a-14 shall submit evidence documenting successful completion of twelve contact hours of continuing education within the one-year period immediately preceding application for reinstatement.

(P.A. 05-213, S. 11; P.A. 06-195, S. 31; 06-196, S. 248; P.A. 10-117, S. 21; P.A. 12-197, S. 18; P.A. 15-198, S. 3; P.A. 16-39, S. 33; 16-66, S. 10.)

History: P.A. 06-195 amended Subsec. (b)(3) by providing that continuing education must include at least one contact hour of training or education in each topic specified in newly designated Subparas. (A) to (E), inclusive, effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 06-196 made a technical change in Subsec. (a)(5), effective June 7, 2006; P.A. 10-117 amended Subsec. (b)(3) by adding “include the topics required pursuant to this subdivision”, by providing that existing topics apply to registration periods ending on or before September 30, 2011, and by providing that for registration periods beginning on and after October 1, 2011, Commissioner of Public Health, in consultation with Dental Commission, shall issue a list of not more than 5 mandatory topics for continuing education activities that will be required for following registration period; P.A. 12-197 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing provisions re required continuing education topics with provision requiring training or education in any 5 of 10 mandatory topics prescribed by commissioner, replacing provision re not more than 5 mandatory topics with provision re 10 mandatory topics and making a technical change; P.A. 15-198 amended Subsec. (b)(3) to designate existing provision re topics as Subpara. (A) and amend same to change from 5 to 4 the number of mandatory topics to be included, and to add Subpara. (B) re prescribing controlled substances and pain management; P.A. 16-39 amended Subsec. (f) to add reference to licensed advanced practice registered nurse; P.A. 16-66 amended Subsec. (b)(3) to replace “four” with “three” in Subpara. (A), add new Subpara. (B) re infection control in dental setting and redesignate existing Subpara. (B) re prescribing controlled substances and pain management as Subpara. (C).